jeep x, se,sport,and sahara

J

jmac3178

New member
what exactly is the diffrence between all these models..i am sure its the trim package.what does one have that the other doesnt..
 

i always wondered the difference between the cj,tj,yj,xj and what the difference are to.. someone told me that difference between the yj and tj is the tj got coils and yj got leaf springs but i am nto sure on none of it.
 
If I was to buy a JK today I would get the Wrangler X. I believe that one is the most strip down, low budget one they got. I like doing my OWN thing on a Jeep and don't want or need the bells & whistles that brake. For instance, all the plastic crap I could unbolt, unsnap or rip off would be GONE. Don't needs that crap rattling around after two trips cross the desert. CD players? for the last ten years they SKIP when new , and quit altogether after a few mos anyways. Carpeting SUCKS, fills full of dirt here and realy is a pain in the @$$. Locking diffs? Keep that Rub, I want to be able to turn the lockers on in HIGH range not just low, can't afford,or want all the other bells & whistles that come with it anyways.

Imediately after world war two, Willys Overland came out with a civilian version of the Jeep called the "Civilian Jeep" or CJ. CJ's were sold until Chrysler Corp bought Jeep from AMC and named it Wrangler. The code in the VIN was YJ and they are called YJ. The YJ is Identified by the square headlights and LOWER and WIDER stance than the CJs. The TJ is STILL a Chrysler Wrangler but the VIN code is TJ. The TJ is identifiable by front coils instead of the leaves and they went BACK to the round headlights. The newest and present Wrangler is also a Chrysler, with round headlights but has the vin code JK and has an even wider stance than all previous Jeeps. :shades:
 

Yeah the civilian Jeep 3B, and yes there was a production 3A but 3 was just a prototype. There seems to be a mystery around the CJ 4 because the next Jeep was the CJ 5.
Rubicon is the present day top of the line Wrangler JK, then Sahara, X sport and then X I believe. and they are pretty much option factors.

Back in 1954 when my Jeep was new it had only one option package "the off road" package that simply had lower gear ratios (5:38.1) and slightly larger brake drums.
 
With the exception of the RUBICON, all the other "names" (SAHARA, RIO GRANDE, ETC) are just trim packages. The RUBICON, on the other hand, DOES have some offroading improvements, such as Dana 44 axles (the tube is thinner than a regular D44, but the shafts are the same), electric differential lockers, comes with MT tires (larger than stock jeep tires), and IIRC, have something like 1/2" lift... Rubicon was available starting on the TJ models, and are still available today.
 

The X is the strippo model, the Sport had some extra goodies like nicer rims and interior (I think) and fog lights, the Sahara is more the luxury model, and the Rubicon has the serious off-road goodies right from the factory.
 
HiHood said:
\ There seems to be a mystery around the CJ 4 because the next Jeep was the CJ 5.
Click to expand...


This is from Wikipedia

CJ-4

CJ-4 Production 1951-1953 Wheelbase 81 in (2057 mm) Only one CJ-4[3] was ever built as an experimental concept in 1951. It used the new Willys Hurricane engine and had an 81-inch (2,057 mm) wheelbase.
The CJ-4 body tub was an intermediate design between the straightforward raised hood from the CJ-3B and the all new curved body style of the CJ-5.
The design was rejected and the vehicle eventually sold to a factory employee.
 

On the TJ's the X came with the 4.0 stock. It was the least expensive way to get the 4.0 in a Wrangler (if I recall). - John
 
Also, because I"m old and remember this stuff, the YJ redesign was mostly to reduce the rollover tendency the CJ had, and the TJ redesign was due to the requirement for airbags beginning in 1998, which wasn't workable with the CJ and YJ firewall.
 
JohnnyO said:
Also, because I"m old and remember this stuff, the YJ redesign was mostly to reduce the rollover tendency the CJ had, and the TJ redesign was due to the requirement for airbags beginning in 1998, which wasn't workable with the CJ and YJ firewall.
Click to expand...


In a word, Nader, the CJ met its demise. The assault started on the CJ5 when Nader and his band of “do gooders” (read “goons”) decided to make money by going after AMC over the stability of the CJ. (As always, follow the money if you want to know the truth)

Nader already had a history of doing this when he sued GM over the Corvair. For those of you who don’t know, the Corvair was a rear engine sports car. They did have a weak link in that the rear axel shafts could come loose and fall out. I believe this primarily happened during a crash but it could be I remember it that way because I saw it happen once. The guy in front of me hit a bolder half the size of his car that had fallen onto the interstate. We were going through the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon at about 75 mph in the dark. The Corvair hit that rock and came to an immediate stop; the axels did come shooting out the sides. The guy was pretty banged up but he did get out of the car under his own power. I was driving a 1972 CJ5 and doubt I would have faired as well as this guy did if it had been me that hit the rock. I understand and agree an axel shaft coming loose is not a good thing under any circumstances but in today’s world the Feds would do a vehicle recall, the problem would be fixed, and that would be that. Nader has made a lifetime career out of suing companies in the name of consumer protection.

Nader made a film showing a CJ5 going through some cones at a good clip to demonstrate how tippy they are and gave it to the news organizations. They put a steel bar system with wheels all around the outside of the body to keep it from tipping completely over. Yes CJs are tippy, I’m the first to say that, but if driven properly they are ok and no a CJ is not the safest vehicle ever made, but in the film they were pushing the limits of any vehicle on the road at that time and the added weight of the steel bar system all around the exterior of the body would have contributed to the bad balance and probably made the CJ tip easier than they already do.

Long story sort it was cheaper to pay Nader off and stop production of the CJ5, same as GM did with the Corvair. The CJ7 continued on because it had a longer wheel base and the width of the axels were widened.

I believe it was AMC that came up with the YJ Wrangler nose on a CJ7 tub (while widening the frame to make it more stable) to improve sales as the CJ7 numbers had be falling off. The AMC car line was faltering and Jeep was all that was keeping them a float. I think the 1987 model year (first year of the Wrangler) began under AMC and ended under Chrysler.

The TJ needed 8” at the dash to accommodate the air bag.
 

[OT] The more common problem with the Corvair was simply that the handling was different from other cars of the era due to the rear engine and swing arm rear suspension, i.e. it oversteered. To compensate, GM recommended higher tire pressures in the rear tires but again, the people and mechanics of the day were used to all four tires being the same pressure and often filled them all the same, which made the problem worse. Due partly to Ralph Nader but also since they realized they were killing their customers, including the high-profile death of TV comedian Ernie Kovacs in a Corvair, GM redesigned the rear suspension beginning with the 1965 models. By then the damage was done, Corvair sales fell, and 1969 was the last year for them. [/OT]
 
Nadar forgot to add in ONE factor when conducting his "safety test" . . . .COMMON SENSE. You can't expect even the modern Jeeps to corner like a Viper or a Vette, it just ain't gonna happen. When you drive a CJ 5 up to speeds of 45 MPH then spin the wheel to the hard right or left, it's gonna roll but people don't drive like that and if they did most anything will loose control.
 
HiHood said:
Nadar forgot to add in ONE factor when conducting his "safety test" . . . .COMMON SENSE. You can't expect even the modern Jeeps to corner like a Viper or a Vette, it just ain't gonna happen. When you drive a CJ 5 up to speeds of 45 MPH then spin the wheel to the hard right or left, it's gonna roll but people don't drive like that and if they did most anything will loose control.
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Aah…Yes…. But lawyers get rich by removing the “common sense” factor from the equation. Like the dumb woman who put a cup of hot coffee from McDonalds between her legs and hit a bump. What would a normal person think could happen? If anything, she should have been ordered to pay McDs for even thinking of suing them in the first place.
 

JohnnyO you hit the Corvair nail on the head. Albeit Ernie Kovacs was killed in an auto accident while driving in a Corvair wagon, it was not as a result of the issues that plagued the early rear suspension. He merely made a turn too sharp in a heavy rain storm possibly while trying to light a cigar. But like you said the bad publicity was huge. Truly a tragedy none the less, I loved his work.
I collected corvairs for a while, I had a 65 in high school. The rear suspension issues woul be exaggerated when a sharp zig-zag maneuver was performed, not just a sharp 90* left or right turn.
 
Crazy4diesels said:
On the TJ's the X came with the 4.0 stock. It was the least expensive way to get the 4.0 in a Wrangler (if I recall). - John
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Actually on TJ's, the X came with the 4 cylinder standard, but you could get an X optioned with the 4.0L if you checked the right boxes at the dealership. The next level up was the "Sport" which came with the 4.0L standard. And of course the 4.0L is standard on the Rubi. The Sahara/Rocky Mountain Edition/Willy's/65th anniversarry edition/Columbia edition/Golden Eagle/whatever other special models you can think of were all Sport models with some extra goodies/body trim/decals thrown in so of course they all have the 4.0L.
 
Jason4x4 said:
Actually on TJ's, the X came with the 4 cylinder standard, but you could get an X optioned with the 4.0L if you checked the right boxes at the dealership. The next level up was the "Sport" which came with the 4.0L standard. And of course the 4.0L is standard on the Rubi. The Sahara/Rocky Mountain Edition/Willy's/65th anniversarry edition/Columbia edition/Golden Eagle/whatever other special models you can think of were all Sport models with some extra goodies/body trim/decals thrown in so of course they all have the 4.0L.
Click to expand...

Sorry... I was going by what the saleman said at the dealer when I bought my Jeep (I guess you should never trust the salesman:lol::lol: ) . I told him I wanted the 4.0 and no other options and he said "oh, then you want an X model... That's the lowest model that comes with the 4.0" . He tried to convince me that I'd like a fancier interior and extra gadgets but I refused to budge. I finally said, "Look, I'm going to take the Jeep home and strip out the interior - everything is going except for the front seats" . At that point he realized he was dealing with a potential nut case and he sold me the X model (which I did take home and strip... there was a Jeep hiding under all that plastic and carpeting - and it was waiting to come out and play:D ). - John
 

Ggg said:
The rear suspension issues woul be exaggerated when a sharp zig-zag maneuver was performed, not just a sharp 90* left or right turn.
Click to expand...

Yes, the same problem with the M151. They had swing arms in the rear and if you made a zig-zag they would bunch up under the vehicle causing it to become unstable. If you drove straight ahead a little between each turn the suspension had time to settle back but a zig-zag caused bunch-up. They fixed this with the M151A1 (or A2? ) which had a trailing arm type of setup. Then they put ROPS in them. Then they chopped them all up (and we welded them back together). Then they crushed them and shredded them and now most of them are gone :x - John
 
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